American Dreamer recently had it’s world premiere at LAFF. Starring Jim Gaffigan, it’s a film about “A down on his luck driver, who makes extra cash chauffeuring a low level drug dealer around town, and finds himself in a serious financial bind and decides to kidnap the dealer's child.”

Derrick Borte is the co-writer (along with Daniel Forte) and director of the film. We had a chat with him and here are the excerpts

What was the most challenging and most rewarding part of making this film?

Limited resources (and everything that comes with that) presented the biggest challenge by far. Shooting this film in 16 nights was tough. Thankfully the whole team was totally committed and we were able to make it work.

What was the casting process for the film like? How as working with an excellent comic like Jim?

Casting is always one of my favorite parts of the process. So much of your film comes together (or not) based on every one of those choices. I feel like we found such great talent for these roles, and it was such a pleasure working with all of them. Jim was so prepared for the challenges this role presented. We had great conversations every day about Cam, his situation, and his decisions.

How was your experience at LAFF?

 Jenn and Drea have been wonderful to work with. The entire staff (and all the volunteers) are great!

 What's next for you?

 Scott, Danny, and I have a few projects in development, but it’s difficult to look past this film right now though. We are all so proud of it and want to help ensure it finds its audience.

 What's on your Netflix (or amazon/hulu) queue right now?

 Lately I’ve been going back to a pretty eclectic variety of films; BIG WEDNESDAY, ANGEL HEART, MANHUNTER, BARRY LYNDON, etc. Also all of the seasons of Bourdain for some travel inspiration.

Who are your favorite filmmakers that inspire you?

 (In no particular order) Sofia Coppola, Hal Ashby, David Cronenberg, Jim Jarmusch, John Hughes, Terry Gilliam. 

What's your message to other aspiring filmmakers and storytellers?

If you have a story to tell, don’t wait for permission. Make your movie with whatever resources you have.

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You can listen to the full interview with Derrick Borte below: